Brunchy Fridge-Raid Hash

Use up fridge remnants and fix your hangover. Boom.

'So, er, are we having anything nice for breakfast today? It doesn't matter if we aren't, I can just have Branflakes...' is the hopeful question I am asked eeeeeevery Saturday and Sunday morning. I like fun weekend breakfasts. I hate the idea of having cereal on a weekend. Cereal is for don't have time to grab anything more fun mornings. Weekdays. Workdays. But, and here is the tricky bit, it's all very well fastidiously planning your evening meals and having exciting, balanced, delish but not too expensive that you drain the joint account in one week meals Monday to Friday, but I find it hard to be THAT person who always plans super far ahead and generally run out of enthusiasm/inspiration. My response to the question asked is normally, 'Erm, eggs?' Luckily at times like these I suddenly remember the joys of fridge-raid hash. No, we do not get high for breakfast (not judging anyone who wants to do that...we all need to get by...) but by taking a little group of ingredients, that more often than not lurk in the fridge seemingly all by themselves, frying up in a big pan and chucking an egg on top, you have a knock out breakfast/brunch, and without trying that hard at all. And NO HORRIBLE BRANFLAKES!

One thing you do need is spuds, this can be in big or baby form, but you do need them. Take the amount you want to eat and either boil whole if tiny, or shop into desired sized pieces if big. Par-boil, drain, and set aside. What follows is one road you can go down, but don't feel you have to stick to it.

Feeds two. Chop an onion into quite chunky pieces and soften in olive oil in a large frying pan along with a finely sliced chilli and two cloves of garlic. Add a handful of chorizo, soft cooking chorizo is best but whatever you have works. Add a sliced pepper. Throw in the already cooked spuds, season generously and stir around really well, ideally letting the spuds catch slightly giving you some lush crispy bits. Add more oil if it all looks a bit dry. Tip into two bowls and top with some tomato wedges, chopped parsley and a fried egg (yolk MUST be runny for optimum eggy sauce).

Now for the fun bit, here is a list of the things that are sometimes lurking in the back of my fridge that I would happily use: pancetta, any sausage (probably best removed from casings), feta cheese, spinach, chilli flakes, courgettes, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, avocado (for topping with, not mixing in when cooking), you get the idea. Even better if they are just about to go off, so you can eat with a little glow of contentment that you saved them from a mouldy demise.

Now go and make your bits and bobs hash, and don't feel sad about boring weekend breakfasts again!

Shakshuka - Pimped with Merguez

'Why have you put little turds in my breakfast?' asked The Boyfriend, when he finally emerged from his bed at midday on Sunday. That was the thanks I got for making a hangover busting feast for him (us). This is a rather exotic version of Eggs In Purgatory, hailing from Tunisia, Morocco, Libya or Algeria* depending on who you listen to and this recipe is an amalgamation of the many recipes out there. I think it's fair to say we have Yottam Ottolenghi to thank for the recent enthusiasm for North African and Middle-Eastern cooking, our cupboards are exploding enthusiastically with za'atar and sumac and what not, and if it means I get to eat things like this on a regular basis, hooray for him. 

Feeds two slightly hanging people who should know better. Grill/fry some lamb merguez sausages, they can be slightly undercooked as they will cook with the eggs a bit later. Just brown them nicely. In a large deep frying pan heat a generous glug of olive oil and gently fry one chopped onion, two chopped garlic cloves and a chopped red chilli (seeds in or out, your choice, it always makes me annoyed when a recipe says 'remove seeds', because what if I don't want to??!), half a chopped red pepper (you can use a whole one but I find it a bit sweet). After about 7 minutes add a tbsp harissa and cook for a further few minutes. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and season well. Let it bubble away gentle for maybe 10 minutes, until it has noticeably thickened. At this point take a spoon, make a little well in the sauce and crack an egg into said well. repeat three times then artistically place the sausages around the eggs. take a spoon/fork and with the wrong end, swirl the egg whites around, mixing into the sauce a bit but don't break the yolks. It can be a little tricky getting the whites cooked before the yolks overcook but keeping the dish uncovered helps. It will take about 6 minutes for the eggs to cook, less with a lid on. Serve strewn with chopped mint/parsley/coriander and a dollop of natural yoghurt or labneh (just strained yoghurt, which I am currently obsessed with). A bit of bread of some description wouldn't go amiss either.

You could pimp this further with feta, spring onions, chorizo instead of Merguez, whatever you have handy. Try not to get sausages that look like little turds though, although they did taste amazing...


*or all of the above. I think it might be like hummus, no-one really knows where it originated. 

Emergency Food for Mother Hubbard Moments - Garlic, Chilli and Parsley Spaghetti

BOSH! Hangover/hunger gone!

Strangely, I sometimes find myself cooking this when completely overwhelmed by too many recipe books bursting with exciting ideas. Sometimes it's all a bit much and you need things to straightforward, quick and easy, when you can count the ingredients on one hand, you know you can cope. It's also good for when the cupboards are pretty much bare. This makes an excellent lunch and has become a rather favourite hangover cure; the carb load combined with the heat of the chillis, a good slick of peppery olive oil and salty garlic tend to do the trick. It will also keep vampires away, but never mind.

Feeds two: Get a good hand-full of spaghetti (or half spag, half linguine as I used, in a proper Mother Hubbard moment) on the go in a pan of boiling water. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan or another saucepan (big enough to hold the pasta) gently heat about four tbsp of olive oil, if you have some tasty extra virgin then all the better. Yes, it's a lot of oil, but it's just this once and you'll want to drink it once it's all garlicky). GENTLY fry two or three finely chopped cloves of garlic and a big pinch of either dried chilli flakes or a finely chopped fresh red one. Do not burn them, if it gets a bit carried away, simply take the pan off the heat until things calm down, the idea is to take the raw edge off the garlic and infuse the oil. Just before the pasta is ready add a big handful of chopped flat leaf parsley and season liberally. Take off the heat. Drain the pasta and tip into the pan full of oily goodness and mix well. Top with a bit of grated Parmesan and enjoy an incredibly simple but delicious bowl of spaghetti.

Whoever said that parsley counteracts the effects of garlic on ones breath, I think, was incorrect, but you be the judge.

New Favourite Weekend Breakfast - Eggs in Filo

New number one

I got stuck in the breakfast rut AGAIN, cereal is just a plain no no at the weekends, so boring and weekday-ish. I eventually remembered a few torn out recipes I had dribbled over reading the paper on the way to work. The one I really wanted to try was something to do with eggs in filo type pastry, fried into a tasty little breakfast friendly parcel. If you manage to fold the pastry up quick enough, what you get is a package of crispy filo, and inside a perfectly cooked egg, yolk all runny, and set white which has managed to ooze into every corner, filling the parcel out perfectly. You do have to work fast and a few imperfect efforts are forgivable, it all tastes good and that's the whole point. I revved mine up a bit, wandering slightly from the recipe adding fried chorizo (pancetta or sliced bacon would be just as good) and a good sprinkling of parsley.

Flipping fast...

Feeds two. Fry a handful of chopped chorizo or pancetta in a large frying pan until crispy, and set aside. Break an egg into a small glass and warm the oven. Heat a glug of olive oil in the bacon pan. Very quickly,  lay a sheet of filo pastry inside the pan (I accidentally found these awesome round sheets in Waitrose) and pour the egg in the middle. Now using fingers or a spatula, fold it up to make a little parcel, ensuring there are no holes for the egg to escape out of. Don't stress too much about it being perfect because once it's all fried up it will be great. Fry for a minute and then do the other side, you want it golden, put on a plate covered with kitchen roll and keep in the oven while you repeat the process three more times. When all ready, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with a blob of harissa. Any spicy sauce would be excellent with this, and a few slices of grilled streaky bacon don't taste too shabby on the side either.

Nice Day For a Royal Wedding (and kedgeree)

Fit for a Princess, or a Duchess

Having previously tutted at the monumental hysteria caused by the Royal Wedding, I squealed with excitement all the way through, with my friend Pip fromt eh comfort of the sofa. I think our invites got lost in the post. Bloody Royal Mail. We oohed and aahed our way through the ceremony on BBC One, sipping on pink Cava and generally getting very silly with it all. Not to mention tipsy before midday. I had invited her over for bubbles and brunch, after hearing her boyfriend had chosen golf over Royal nuptials, what an outrage! The previous night, swimming in Sauvingnon Blanc, my sister gave me the idea to make kedgeree, perfect. I even had smoked haddock in the freezer, it was meant to be. Just like Wills and Kate.

Kedgeree is a slight faff, especially when you've just woken up, but oh so worth it. This feeds four. Hard boil four eggs. Poach two smoked haddock fillets by laying them skin side up in a big frying pan, cover with boiling water, add a bay leaf and a few peppercorns, and just simmer very gently for about 7 minutes. Then discard the water and let the fish cool a bit before peeling the skin off (should come away very easily, if not, it's not ready), flake and set aside. To make the magic sauce, fry a finely chopped onion in a big knob of butter until softened. Grind a tsp each of cumin and fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar, and add a clove of garlic and give that a good bash too. Add to onions and fry for 3 minutes. Squirt in a tsp tomato puree, add a tsp each of tumeric, curry powder, a pinch of saffron, a bay leaf and 150ml water and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes and season. Cook your rice (if I bother measuring I use half a cup per person). Now just combine everything, stir the sauce into the rice, gently stir in the fish without mushing it up, peel and quarter the eggs and top each bowl with them and some chopped parsley. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

This made a very suitable wedding breakfast, I'm pretty sure the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would have approved.

Lots of Laksa

A bowl of this will improve your well-being

As I raided the fridge on my return from Florida, desperate for something delicious and semi-healthy, all I found was plates of left over pizza that Boyfriend had presumably been saving for me. Very sweet but not what I faniced. Having flown in on the red eye and done a day in the office, I got an email from him saying 'Can you do something quite light for dinner please? I had a big lunch.' What a charmer!

There is a magical little jar of Indonesian laksa paste that sits at the back of my fridge, and when I caught sight of the borderline fresh pak choi in the veg drawer and ice cream tub of chicken stock it had to be laksa. I sent Boyfriend to the shops to get some prawns and made the 20 minute miracle that is a big bowl of beautiful laksa.  I love to make my own curry pastes, but lets face it, I was hungry and jet lagged, and there is nothing at all wrong with a bought paste in this kind of situation! This feeds 2 generously.

To make laksa, bring approx 2ltrs chicken stock to a gentle simmer and stir in as much laska paste as you want, depending on how hot you like it. You can use thai red or green curry paste instead if you like, still lush. Add to the cauldron a few slices of ginger and some sliced garlic and let it infuse for a few minutes. Pour in about half a tin of coconut milk (you can always add more later, just keep tasting). The soup will taste quite hot but bland so add the juice of a lime and a few tbsp fish sauce. The trick is to keep tasting and to acheive the wonderful balance of hot and sour, you can also add a bit of sugar for a hint of sweetness if you like. Once the balance is right, add noodles, any type, it doesn't matter, any combo of veg, I used sliced carrot and pak choi, don't cook the hell out of the veg, keep a nice crunch, and then right at the last minute throw in some raw king prawns. They need literally a minute and when they have gone pink they're done. Chicken and beef (left over cooked or raw) would be great too. Sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander and chopped chillies if you love it hot, and slurp away.

The Comfort of Carbonara

We often find ourselves waking up a bit late on a Saturday, head a little groggy from too much booze the night before. It's a bit late for breakfast but need something NOW to sort things out. So often when I'm trying to think of something easy, quick and gorgeous to cook, Spaghetti Carbonara pops into my head. When I suggest this to Boyfriend, his eyes light up (as much as they can when a headache is pounding behind them) and I get a very enthusiastic 'Yes. I want that one.' A very energetic set by Kissy Sell Out was on i-player, helping me along the way.



Get twirling



By no means am I claiming this to be authentic, but it's similar to what they serve in my favourite Italian restaurant. Quite why people mess about with separating egg yolks and creme fraiche in various bastardisations of carbonara I will never know. This recipe takes as long as the pasta takes to cook. Perfect when feeling delicate and in no mood to wait for a feed. I find it preferable to feed Boyfriend pretty quickly after he demands food, otherwise his blood sugar levels drop and out comes Mr. Hyde. This is dedicated to my little sister to whom I have given this recipe to a million times. I don't think she ever actually writes it down.



Get the spaghetti going (normally I don't care what pasta I use but with this, spaghetti really is the best). Chop an onion and gently fry in a big saucepan, when it has softened a bit add chopped pancetta (I get the tubs of the ready chopped stuff - GENIUS) or bacon, and add to onions, keep stirring it so it doesn't burn. You want the onions really soft and juicy. While this is happening grate a handful of parmesan, take a small jug, and beat one or two eggs in it (we had an eggy breakfast this morning so only one for today), add the parmesan and approx. 200ml of single cream depending on how saucey you like it. I like it saucy. Grind lots of black pepper in, along with saltand mix. By now the onion mixture and pasta will probably be done, drain the pasta and add to the onion pan, turning off the heat. Pour over the eggy cream mixture, add a handful of chopped parsley and mix it all up really well. The heat from the pasta and onions will cook the eggs and the result is a bit like mini scrambled eggs. I add the juice of a lemon, which isn't traditional but it perks it up a bit, along with the parsley. And there you have it, pasta version of bacon and eggs.



A rather religious breakfast.

Purgatory? Nope, this is pure heaven.

This will sort you out

Woke up gloriously late, even for me, on Saturday and the only thing I wanted and needed was Eggs in Purgatory. The soothing twangs of Taj Mahal was on the stereo. I got the recipe from my trusted Waitrose Kitchen magazine, its by that nice Ozzie bloke Bill Granger. I thought it was some bizarrely named thing he invented but actually its a very traditional dish from Naples. After the first time I made it I was hooked, so much better than the usual fry-up but equally theraputic when seeking a cure for a thick cider head. Make it once and you won't need the recipe again. Another plus is the way my fridge/cupboard always seems to be magically prepared for this dish.

For two: fry a chopped onion, add a few cloves of chopped garlic, get it really soft, add some chopped chorozo, bacon or other salty meatiness, chuck in a tin of chopped tomatoes, stir around, then break in as many eggs as you like on top, cover, and simmer until the whites are cooked but the yolks are still oozy. Sprinkle with chopped parley and chilli, season, and voila! Serving with a hangover is optional, whatever works for you.